success in life and ministry

Success....What does that mean? 100 saved? 1000? A church building erected? An orphanage established?  A well dug where there was no water? Or maybe it is how much financial support you raise? The kind of car you drive, the kind of home you live in? Do you have to own it? Is a mortgage a term for success?  Maybe it is the level of cutting edge technology we incorporate into our lives or ministry?  Jesus didn’t build any buildings, in fact he talked about tearing one down. He didn’t use a lot of technology.  He didn´t own a home.

 All of these accomplishments are temporarily satisfying to be sure, but are they what God looks at when He measures our success and He says our work will be rewarded?

Rewarded for what? When the Father said to Jesus, in Matthew 3 and 17, and in Luke3
This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, 
And in the gospel of John chapter 8 
And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.

What was He talking about? What did Jesus DO that pleased His Father?  Did Jesus do activities that pleased the Father or did He do the right thing each time He had to make a choice?

Matthew 12 talks about God’s SOUL being well pleased with His servant Jesus, that He had His spirit upon Him, that He showed judgment, that He did not strive, nor cry, that no man heard His voice in the streets. That he did not break a bruised reed, nor quench a smoking flax.

Does that mean He walked softly through life, trying to not bother anyone?

OR

That He never damaged or diminished life but always added to it. He made the blind to see, the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, he brought the dead to life.  He gave Peter the opportunity and faith to walk on water, I bet he never forgot that night! Jesus always added to life wherever He went. Everyone’s life was a little better, a little brighter. He renewed people’s hope, and increased their faith.  

So what does this mean for us?  We are His ambassadors. It is our responsibility to represent Him. How can we do that and do it well? Here are some verses to think about:

1Co_10:5  But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.  Are we like the faithless and complaining Israelites?  Can  we trust Him in the middle of our problems? On the dark days do we still praise Him and give Him thanks or do we need to check our attitude?

Rom_8:8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

2Ti_2:4  No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

This is a hard one, how many times do we act or react in the flesh? What do we do with our free time? Do we do only those things that please God? If we gave an account of just this past month, what would God be pleased with in a month’s  worth of activities, a month’s worth of words, thoughts, actions, reactions?

Galatians 5 says that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.

For me, the Fruit of the Spirit has more to do with being, than doing. There are more indications in the Scriptures on this, like, we should ¨serve one another¨, “love one another”, “ pray for one another”, “ submit to one another”…I think there are at least 12 of these  ‘one another’ statements in the Bible.  If I spent a month focusing on others  and not on myself,  I think I would finish out a month more content and joyful, not stressed, cranky, overwhelmed and miserable.  Here are a couple more verses I should focus on in my own life.

Rom_15:1  We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

Rom_15:2  Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification.

1Co_10:33  Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

Heb_11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

This is my final thought, do we have faith? Do we believe that Jesus is God, that He lived a holy life, That He died for our sins, paid for them in Hell and rose again the third day?  Do we believe He is right and we are wrong? And do we believe in Him enough to allow Him to be in charge of our lives? God tells us to “ Believe on the LORD Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved”.  Believing God exists isn’t enough, we need to be ready to put everything we have and are into His All Powerful hands, to trust Him every day and every hour, knowing and trusting that His will and His plan is greater than our own and then be willing to follow Him and listen to His leading to accomplishment that will.

Thanks for listening....  God bless each of you and may He show you His perfect will and plan for each of your lives. Suzanne